As the light of a new day broke through the darkness, I was reminded of God’s abiding presence. Several sparrows were feasting at the birdfeeder, but they were not alone. An indigo bunting sat in the middle of the tray with them, the dusty cobalt blue of his feathers glistening in the morning light.
I Needed a Reminder of God’s Abiding Presence
My thoughts were on Jesus as I sipped my coffee and watched the Lord paint the sky with colors of coral and blush, but when I caught a glimpse of the indigo blue there amid the sparrows, my heart skipped a beat. I realized the Lord was reminding me I was not alone in my difficult place — He was with me.
Whenever I catch sight of a bluebird or an indigo bunting, the blue of their feathers takes me immediately to my studies of the tabernacle — God’s dwelling place in the wilderness as His people traveled from the slavery of Egypt to the promised land flowing with milk and honey.
“‘Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them,” said the Lord” (Exodus 25:8). God instructed His people, “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen, and blue, purple, and scarlet thread, with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them” (Exodus 26:1).
The blue in the tabernacle was meant to cause the people to look heavenward to the blue sky above and remember that He is the One True God.
The One True God …
The Maker of Heaven and Earth.
He dwells among His people — and now, WE are His temple.
How Often Do I Miss the Presence of God?
Because the birdseed is in a wooden tray, the birds can congregate. The sea of sparrows hopped and fussed and enjoyed the seed. And right there in the middle remained the dusty cobalt blue of the indigo bunting.
I’m not sure they noticed him, but I sure did.
How often is Jesus passing by and I’m not even aware? How often is the Spirit of God drawing near to me in my difficult place, but I’m too busy fussing and hopping around in a frenzy, not even aware he is drawing near in my time of need?
Our God is faithful. That’s who He is.
God’s abiding presence is not contingent on my attitude — it’s contingent on His promise to never leave me nor forsake me for, “It is in Him that we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). When I need Him, I can trust that He is right there with me. Always.
After a minute or so, the bunting spread his wings and took flight. I watched as he landed on the pitched roof of our barn. For just a moment he perched there, cocking his head back and forth overseeing the yard, leaning in as if he were listening to the sparrows still fussing in the birdfeeder.
Then he lifted from the roof and flew toward the forest.
I Held the Image Near to My Heart
I didn’t see him anymore that day, but I kept the image of the heavenly blue in the midst of the chaos near in thought so I could access it when I felt overwhelmed. The knowledge of God’s abiding presence was just as beautiful to my heart as the indigo feathers glistening in the morning light.
Selah
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Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
Hi!
I was looking into indigo buntings, just now, because, well, I sneezed and said God Bless and a little prayer. I closed my eyes during the prayer and just as I finished, I saw a very vivid image/vision of a indigo bunting, a bird I never have seen before. I live in northern europe, in the nordic countries. And this bird is not native here. Was looking into the spiritual symbolism of the bird and the colour indigo and your blog was among the search results, just stopping by, Thank you for the read.
Sweet Blessings
LG.
Wow! How fun! Don’t you love God-winks — those times when He says, “My child, I see you and I know your heart’s desire.”? Thank you so much for sharing with me. You made my day 🙂